I don't know if there is a personal identity. We all imagine that we are absolute individuals. But when we begin to look for where this individuality resides, it's very difficult to find.
John BanvilleRead
While I fear that we're drawn to what abandons us, and to what seems most likely to abandon us, in the end I believe we're defined by what embraces us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the paradox of human attraction to things that may let us down, while ultimately asserting that our true essence is shaped by what supports and nurtures us.
J. R. Moehringer's quote explores the complex nature of human relationships and desires, suggesting that while we often find ourselves attracted to people or things that may ultimately leave us, it is the connections and experiences that accept and embrace us that truly define who we are. This perspective invites reflection on the importance of building meaningful relationships and seeking out sources of support in our lives, rather than being drawn solely to what is fleeting or unreliable.
Themes
FearEmbraceRelationshipsIdentitySupport
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a motivational talk about the importance of nurturing healthy relationships.
Similar quotes
To follow imperfect, uncertain, or corrupted traditions, in order to avoid erring in our own judgment, is but to exchange one danger for another.
Richard WhatelyRead
It's not denial. I'm just selective about the reality I accept.
Bill WattersonRead
You're only infallible about your own nervous system. You know what's going on in your own nervous system, whatever realities you're creating out of the infinite flux of being. You don't know anything about anybody else's reality unless they tell you about it. You gotta listen very sympathetically in order to understand them. So it's a limited infallibility.
Robert Anton WilsonRead
Personally, I have always felt that the best doctor in the world is the Veterinarian. He can't ask his patients what is the matter...he's just got to know.
Will RogersRead
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants. A good scientist has freed himself of concepts and keeps his mind open to what is.
LaoziRead